1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of artificial fishing lures, and in particular to lures of the spinner bait or buzz bait type.
2. Description of the Related Art
Fishing lures of the spinner bait and buzz bait types are well known in the fishing art. A common type of spinner bait comprises a wire yoke having a pair of divergent arms with a loop or bight formed at their point of connection for attaching a fishing line. One of the arms terminates in a body designed to imitate a bait fish or other food item. The body is generally formed of lead and has at least one fishhook attached thereto for capturing a fish which strikes at the lure body. The other arm terminates in a loop to which a spinner blade is attached. The spinner blade rotates as the lure is pulled through the water so as to reflect light and create noise. The motion of the spinner blade acts to attract fish toward the lure body. A buzz bait type lure is similar to the spinner bait except that the spinner blade is replaced with a propeller.
Numerous references disclose improvements to the standard spinner bait. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,571,877 to Montgomery discloses a lure wherein the body is mounted on a substantially rigid arm, whereas the arm to which the spinner blade is attached is non-rigid. U.S. Pat. No. 4,638,86 to Hall discloses a lure with a plastic sleeve which covers a major portion of the weighted lure body. U.S. Pat. No. 5,953,848 to Darnell et al. discloses an xe2x80x9cenvironmentally friendlyxe2x80x9d lure wherein the body is formed of a weighted mass of non-toxic metallic pellets encapsulated in plastic. U.S. Pat. No. 6,266,914 to Johnson, et al. discloses a lure wherein the yoke or frame (including both arms) is made of nickel-titanium alloy wire. U.S. Pat. No. 5,987,805 to Laney discloses a buzz bait lure wherein the body has wing structures which cause the lure to rise as it is pulled through the water.
Prior art lures with wire yokes suffer from several known problems. One of these problems is that such lures can become ineffective in clear water because the fish can see the wire arm connected to the lure body. The fish recognize the wire arm as a danger sign and are less likely to strike at the bait.
Another problem with conventional spinner and buzz baits is that the wire arms tend to break where the wire enters the lead body. This breakage occurs for two reasons. First, when the melted lead is molded around the wire arm it is at a temperature of approximately 800 to 900 degrees Fahrenheit. This high temperature tends to take the temper out of the wire and thereby weakens it. Secondly, as the lure is used, the wire arm tends to bend repeatedly at the same point adjacent the lure body. This results in fatigue of the wire and its eventual failure.
A third problem with traditional wire yoke spinner bait lures is that because both arm of the yoke are flexible, the yoke tends to absorb a significant part of the vibration created by the spinner blade. This is undesirable because it dampens the noise which is generated by the lure.
What is needed is a spinner bait type lure having an improved yoke which eliminates the aforementioned deficiencies of the prior art all-wire yoke.
The present invention comprises a fishing lure having a yoke with a first arm made of wire, and a second arm molded of plastic material, such as polycarbonate, which is preferably transparent. The first arm is preferably nickel-titanium alloy wire having a memory characteristic and has a loop or bight formed at one end for attachment of a fishing line. The second arm has a first end molded around a portion of the first arm proximate the loop. A weighted body having a fishhook attached thereto is connected to a second end of the second arm. The weighted body may include a central core of heavy dense material and an encapsulating outer layer of plastic material which is integrally molded with the second arm. A fish attracting element such as a spinner blade or propellor is rotatably mounted on the first arm.